The present device and system is related to self-contained breathing apparatuses, and more particularly to safety systems for users of self-contained breathing apparatuses who work on dry surfaces and near marine areas.
A self contained breathing apparatus (“SCBA”) is a device used to enable breathing in environments which are immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH). For example, firefighters wear an SCBA when fighting a fire. The SCBA typically has a harness supporting an air tank which is connected to a facepiece, all of which are worn or carried by the user. The tank typically contains air or gas under high pressure (2200 psi-4500 psi) and is connected to a first stage regulator which reduces the pressure to about 80 psi. The SCBA usually has a second stage regulator that has an inlet valve which controls the flow of air for breathing between the air tank and the facepiece. Typically, the inlet valve controls the flow of air through the second state regulator in response to the respiration of the user.
Typically, a diaphragm divides the regulator assembly into an inner chamber having a pressure corresponding to the pressure within the facepiece of the SCBA and an outer chamber having a pressure corresponding to the pressure in the surrounding environment, which is typically ambient pressure. The diaphragm is coupled to an actuating mechanism which opens and closes the inlet valve. The user's respiration creates a pressure differential between the inner and outer chambers of the regulator assembly which, in turn, causes displacement of the diaphragm thereby controlling (that is, opening and closing) the inlet valve mechanism. As a result, such regulators are often called pressure demand regulators.
The facepiece of the SCBA is typically maintained at a positive pressure as compared to the surrounding environmental pressure to, for example, prevent toxic gases and vapors in the surrounding environment from entering the facepiece. This positive pressure can, for example, be facilitated by biasing the diaphragm with a spring.
Present harnesses are designed to be worn by the user over the garb. However, there is no allowance for the SCBA pack/harness to be worn over a Coast Guard approved lifejacket, nor is an approved lifejacket large enough to fit over a SCBA pack/harness. Thus, those who work on dry surfaces adjacent to marine environments, such as a boat, dock, or off-shore rig, and who are required to wear a SCBA unit cannot wear an appropriate lifejacket. As a result, the users and employers will be in violation of 46 CFR §185.508 in the very instance that the CFR spells out they are required to wear a lifejacket, “(3) In the event of flooding, fire, or other events that may possibly call for evacuation;” (46 CFR §185.508), which is in reference to when an individual must don a lifejacket.